


Stress Relief

by beautifulEnmity



Category: Shall We Date?: Obey Me!
Genre: Established Relationship, Fluff, Hugs, Lucifer is stressed, M/M, Mammon and Asmo both make an appearance, Multi, Paperwork, Polyamory
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2021-01-24
Updated: 2021-01-24
Packaged: 2021-03-16 14:48:21
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 2,422
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/28958205
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/beautifulEnmity/pseuds/beautifulEnmity
Summary: Lucifer is overworked and stressed and everyone suffers (especially his brothers).Diavolo and Barbatos take it upon themselves to lessen the burden of Lucifer's gigantic workload, but Lucifer is much too prideful to let them do that without some resistance.
Relationships: Barbatos/Diavolo/Lucifer (Shall We Date?: Obey Me!), Barbatos/Lucifer (Shall We Date?: Obey Me!), Diavolo/Lucifer (Shall We Date?: Obey Me!)
Comments: 12
Kudos: 67





	Stress Relief

**Author's Note:**

> I wrote this a bit ago and didn't proof-read it again before posting, so there might be mistakes
> 
> I just wanted to get this finally posted and since I haven't slept for the past 24 hours it seemed like a good idea lol
> 
> Comments are always appreciated! :)

Lucifer was stressed. Again.

It wasn’t surprising in the least, since _some_ of his brothers liked to slack off on their student council duties, so he had to take over whatever needed to be done. He couldn’t let Diavolo deal with the messes his brothers caused.

At least not more than he already had to anyway.

He was used to it in a way. There was always more to be done and it was rare for him to have nothing to do at all, but that didn’t mean the stress didn't affect him. Even he noticed he was more snappy than usual, one could even describe his behaviour recently as mean, according to several of his brothers.

So he might have been a bit harsher with his punishments on Mammon for trying to steal some of his record collection, or Beel for breaking the door to the kitchen yet again.

It wasn’t really his fault since his brothers were the reason he was so stressed in the first place, but his stress was also starting to show outside of his interactions with his brothers. He had just caught himself before he could get angry at Simeon and he had to remind himself that he wasn’t dealing with one of his brothers. When the same thing happened only a day later with Solomon, Lucifer knew that he needed to do something.

The problem was that he didn’t know what. His solution in the past had been to just power through it, get the work done that needed to be done and take a break after. But this didn't seem to be working this time. The reports kept piling up on his desk and he was barely making a dent and he still had to keep up with all his other tasks as well.

It was starting to wear him down. And not just in the way that he got irritated at the smallest things and letting his mean streak take over for punishments, but he was also getting distracted and sloppy. It even went so far that Barbatos handed some reports back to him because they were incorrectly filled out, which of course only added to his steadily rising stress levels.

The culmination of all of these things was what lead to the situation that Lucifer currently found himself in.

He was in the student council room, working on those reports, when Asmo and Mammon came in. He could already feel his blood pressure rising and they hadn’t even said anything yet. He just knew that whatever they wanted, it would either be more work or something that distracted him from the work he needed to do and either result would sour his mood further.

He closed his pen with an audible snap and glared at the two intruders. Asmo seemed to hesitate upon seeing the look on his face, but Mammon had no such qualms and stepped forward, hands in his pockets. He sat down on a small part of the desk that wasn’t covered in papers and Lucifer felt a muscle in his jaw twitch. If he had a little less control on his powers, he would have been very close to setting the offending behind on fire together with the whole rest of the school building.

But he was Lucifer, the Avatar of Pride, and he wouldn’t just give in to the temptation that easily. He had pride in his self-control after all.

“So,” Mammon started and Lucifer was already dreading whatever he was going to say. “Asmo and I wanted to get some money for the book we need for Spells and Potions class.”

Lucifer pinched the bridge of his nose. “I already gave you the money for that,” he said, voice tight. It was probably better to say as little as possible to avoid his frustration from showing too clearly.

“Well, problem is, we already spent it, ya know? So we need more ‘cause we also need that book. You’re the one who’s always saying we should do more for class anyway.” Mammon shrugged with a self-satisfied smile and Lucifer could physical feel his control starting to slip.

Asmo at least seemed to pick up on that, judging by the way he had kept his mouth shut and was inching closer towards the exit when he thought Lucifer wasn’t looking. He was sending looks towards Mammon that were probably supposed to convince him to stop talking, but Mammon's attention was focused solely on Lucifer.

“I already. Gave you. The money.”

His voice was almost a growl, irritation rolling off of him in waves and Mammon finally seemed to pick up on his mood. He got up from the desk, hands raised in a placating gesture and a forced smile plastered on his face as he slowly followed Asmo’s path towards the door.

“A-alright! Gotcha. We'll just uh – go. Then.”

The only response Lucifer gave him was a glare that practically sent Mammon running. They had just reached the door when it opened by itself and Diavolo entered, followed closely by Barbatos.

“Ahh, Lucifer, just who I wanted to speak to.” Diavolo was beaming at him and Lucifer could feel his irritation start to melt away, like ice cream under the relentless rays of the sun. It was only a fraction, but after days of astronomical high stress levels it felt like a blessing to him.

“Diavolo. What do you need?”

“Oh, I just came to see how you’re doing! A little birdie told me you’ve been drowning in work for days. You know you shouldn’t work that much, it’s not good for your health!”

Diavolo crossed his arms and looked at him with affectionate sternness and while Lucifer knew he was really just concerned for his wellbeing he felt his pride flare up fiercely.

“It's nothing I can’t handle,” he said, voice clipped, already turning away from Diavolo to get back to his reports. Figures that his short time of reprieve would be cut short by yet another reminder of his work.

“Lucifer.” Diavolo actually sounded serious and the change made Lucifer pause and turn back towards him, caught slightly off-guard.

“You should take a break.”

It wasn't quite a suggestion but also not quite an order and Lucifer found himself protesting immediately.

“I don’t need a - "

“Lord Diavolo and myself both agree that it would be best for everyone if you did. Sometimes trying desperately to get enough work done doesn’t actually work as well as one would wish.”

Barbatos stepped forward and sifted through the piles of unfinished reports and applications and who knows what else, before taking a big chunk of them off the table. Lucifer was about to protest when Diavolo did the same, leaving less than half of the documents on the desk.

He didn’t really know what to say. Of course he’d like less work. But his pride just wouldn’t allow it. Especially if Diavolo and Barbatos were the ones that had to pick up his slack. He just couldn’t let them take over part of his work without protest.

“Diavolo, are you questioning my competence?” He said as he stood up and crossed his arms over his chest, trying to go for indignant but it sounded more like a genuine question than he would have liked. He tried his best not to let those thoughts show, holding his ground.

“Lucifer,” Diavolo said, stepping in front of him so their eyes met. “You know that I’m not.” His eyes glowed a warm gold and when he put hand on Lucifer's shoulder the warmth that bled through his clothes into his skin made him melt a little bit on the inside.

“We are just questioning your ability to manage your work-life balance and how you deal with stress,” Barbatos chimed in, smirk in place, and Lucifer felt himself bristle at that. He opened his mouth to retort but Diavolo pressed one of his fingers to his lips, effectively silencing him.

“Luci, we talked about that. You know he’s right. You’ve been too stressed lately and I’m sorry for not noticing sooner.”

Lucifer would really like to protest but Diavolo’s finger was still holding his lips shut and something inside of him was prioritising that over his own pride. It did soothe his mind, the knowledge that the work would be done and he didn’t have to stress over it.

But he couldn’t just put all that stress on Diavolo and Barbatos.

As if reading his mind, Barbatos stepped in front of him as well, gaze calculating but warm. “Lord Diavolo and myself have actually been having a lot of free time recently, no doubt due to you taking over so much of the work. It’s only logical to redistribute it evenly so we all have manageable amounts to finish.”

There it was. Every time Lucifer had gotten into a disagreement with Barbatos he had been hard pressed to not see the logic in the answers the other provided. As was the case right now.

He felt his body succumb to the logic before his mind did, head dropping forward to rest against Diavolo's shoulder, eyes closing.

“Thank you,” he said quietly, stress slowly starting to bleed from his muscles and for the first time in what felt like forever, he could feel himself relax. He turned his head and stretched one hand towards Barbatos who intertwined their fingers with a knowing smile. “I don’t know what I’d do without you both.”

He felt Diavolo's laugh more than he heard it, a deep rumble in his chest.

“I’m sure you’d be even more feared throughout the Devildom. You get quite intimidating when stressed,” he said and Lucifer could hear the amused smile in his voice, no need to open his eyes again. If he had been less exhausted, he would have given him an unimpressed stare but alas at the moment it felt like all his energy had left together with the stress. He felt his fingers being squeezed reassuringly and managed to open his eyes again to send a fond look towards Barbatos. 

Right now, he was content. No longer stressed, spending time with the two demons he loved and feeling safe enough to show vulnerability in his exhausted state. He should have known that it was a little too good to be true.

There was the slightest of sounds from the direction of the door and Lucifer's head whipped around, dark crimson meeting cerulean gold, as his gaze met Mammon’s.

Mammon, who was still standing in the doorway, door only halfway closed, the most disbelieving expression on his face. Asmo right behind him, practically glowing with excitement.

Mammon and Asmo who both hadn’t left when Lucifer had assumed they did. Mammon and Asmo who had been here the whole time.

Lucifer would later either straight out deny what happened then or blame it on the exhaustion, but when his eyes met those of his younger brother, he felt a fierce flush bloom across his face, unable to do anything but stare as his brain tried to come up with a way to rectify the current situation.

It didn't go unnoticed, judging by the way that Mammon gaped at Lucifer’s reaction, seemingly caught just as off guard as Lucifer felt. He watched Mammon open his mouth, words already on his tongue, when he was pulled back abruptly by a smirking Asmo.

“Guess we better go! Byee, have fun~!” He said with a wink before pulling Mammon out of the room and the door fell shut behind them.

Lucifer just stared at the door, unblinking. In the back of his mind an uncomfortable knowledge was starting to build up and he tried his best not to think about it even though he knew it was futile. Trying not to think of a pink elephant and all that.

His cheeks still felt hot and it was unlikely that was going to change any time soon after what had happened. He buried his face back into Diavolo's shoulder.

What was he going to do now?

And not just him, but Diavolo and Barbatos as well?

“I apologise,” he finally managed to say, not raising his head. “I was... careless.”

He felt his hand being squeezed reassuringly and instinctively he smiled, if only a little.

“Oh Lucifer, don’t worry about it. Barbatos and me didn't notice them either.”

Diavolo's hand slid from his shoulder to the back of his neck and started to soothe through the short hairs there and like clockwork Lucifer felt a shiver go down his spine.

“But they’re my brothers. And now the whole Devildom is going to know about this by tomorrow morning.”

Barbatos squeezed his hand again and Lucifer finally retreated from the safety of Diavolo's shoulder to redirect his attention to the other demon.

“Would that be such a bad thing?” He was still smiling and not for the first time Lucifer envied him for his almost angelic composure. Lucifer himself probably hadn’t been as calm and composed as him when he had been an actual angel.

“It’s not an _ideal_ situation.”

“That is true, but it isn’t so bad either. We are three of the most powerful demons in the Devildom. No one is going to say anything. Especially since Lord Diavolo is involved. No one would dare. Except,” Barbatos trailed off, now considering and Lucifer let out a long-suffering sigh.

“Except for my brothers, who are never going to let us hear the end of it.”

He tried his best to remain unaffected by the laugh that Diavolo let out and the amusement that seemed to radiate from Barbatos, but he felt his lips twitch into an involuntary smile despite his best efforts.

“Then both of you should accompany me back to the House of Lamentation so I don’t have to face my brothers’ teasing alone.”

“That can be arranged,” Diavolo said softly into his hair before leaning down even further to press a kiss against Lucifer’s cheek. “I won’t deny the Avatar of Pride the chance of showing off his boyfriends.”

Diavolo took a step back, meeting Lucifer’s glare with an innocent smile as Barbatos took his place and leaned up to press a kiss to his other cheek.

“I hope you will be proud to call us your boyfriends to the whole Devildom from now on.”

While the tone was teasing, Lucifer could hear the sincerity in Barbatos’ voice as well and he felt a slight blush return to his face as he nodded.

“Of course.”

**Author's Note:**

> If you read through it all, do share your thoughts with me, I'd love to hear them! 
> 
> (Also I crave validation, quarantine has me going through it lol)


End file.
